Kenwood Academy

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Kenwood Academy
Address
5015 S. Blackstone Ave.
Chicago, Illinois, 60615
USA
Coordinates 41°48′12″N 87°35′23″W / 41.8034°N 87.5898°W / 41.8034; -87.5898Coordinates: 41°48′12″N 87°35′23″W / 41.8034°N 87.5898°W / 41.8034; -87.5898
Information
School type Public Secondary
Established 1965
Opened 1969
School district Chicago Public Schools
Principal Gregory Jones
Grades 7–12 (including Academic Center)
Gender Coed
Enrollment 1774 (2013)[1]
Campus type Urban
Color(s)      Columbia Blue
     Red
Team name Broncos
Accreditation(s) North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[2]
Newspaper Kenwood Kaleidoscope
Yearbook 'Odyssey'
Website www.kenwoodacademy.org

Kenwood Academy is a public 4-year high school located in the Kenwood neighborhood on the southside of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Kenwood accepts high school students living in its attendance area: from Lake Michigan to Cottage Grove Avenue east to west, and 47th to the Midway Plaisance north to south. In addition to being a local high school, Kenwood Academy has a magnet program that accepts students entering into 7th grade who pass a rigorous admissions test. The magnet program accepts students citywide using a random lottery with a standing of 6 or higher in both reading and math. It is operated by Chicago Public Schools. Kenwood varsity athletic teams are named the "Broncos." The school's football field is not regulation size, and no home games are played there. There are no stands for spectators.

History

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) began the planning process to build Kenwood Academy, then called Kenwood High School, on November 3, 1965. With Northern big cities undergoing the final years of the baby boom, the CPS felt the need for a modernized new high school on Chicago's South Side. The high school was sited on 51st Street and Lake Park, near the Illinois Central Railroad, and was built in 1967-1969. The doors of the school opened in 1969. The address is 5015 S. Blackstone Avenue, Chicago, IL 60615. Elizabeth Jochner, Kenwood's first principal, held the position for the first 20 years (1967-1987). In recognition of the school's excellence and special programs, in 1977 the Chicago Board of Education designated the school an "academy". The school's campus is shared with Canter Middle School (formerly Louis Wirth Elementary School). The school is bounded by E. Hyde Park Boulevard on the south, S. Lake Park Avenue on the east, S. Blackstone Avenue on the west, and E. 50th Street on the north. The school's football field, however, extends the campus north to E. 49th Street along S. Lake Park Avenue.

Kenwood Academy Music Department

The Kenwood Academy Concert Choir has performed locally and nationally at churches, colleges and universities, and vocal competitions nationwide. Oscar winner Denzel Washington and Grammy award winners The Winans have shared billings (at their own requests) with the Kenwood Academy Concert Choir. The Kenwood Concert Choir has performed for President Barack Obama. The Kenwood Academy Bands are superior rated Jazz Emsemble (known as "Jazz At The Wood"), Jazz Combo, Concert Band, and the newly revived Marching Band (known as "Marching Broncos"). Jazz At The Wood was the first CPS High School in the city's history to be invited to perform at the Annual Jazz Festival (located in Grant Park) in 2007. They have also performed (through personal request) for the Annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Golden Apple Awards, Ravinia, Hewitt and Associates and Room 43.

Athletics

Kenwood competes in the Chicago Public League (CPL) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).[3]

Awards

Kenwood was recognized as a School of Distinction for its academic achievement and a Model School by the International Center for Leadership in Education in 2004. Kenwood Academy High School was selected as one of America's best high schools by Newsweek and US & World News magazines.

Academic Center Program

The Academic Center Program started as a way to introduce a select few 7th and 8th grade students to the high school environment before actually entering high school. Students in this program are referred to as "preppies," as they are preparing for high school by taking high school courses before they graduate from the 8th grade. Students are offered the choice of staying at Kenwood Academy or attending any other high school with their credits and GPA. Students that choose to stay at Kenwood are granted the right, in their senior year, to take tuition-free courses at the University of Chicago.

Kenwood Academy and the University of Chicago

Because of their mutual history of academic excellence and their close proximity to each other, Kenwood Academy and the University of Chicago have enjoyed a great relationship over the years. Kenwood Academy students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses can access student resources on the University of Chicago's Hyde Park campus. University of Chicago students and professors have traditionally worked closely with Kenwood students in classes and on special projects. A recent example of a Kenwood Academy/University of Chicago relationship is evidenced in the Program of Academic Excellence for High School Juniors at Kenwood Academy (The Kenwood Project). This program pairs Kenwood Academy Juniors with professors at the University of Chicago, as mentors.

Notable Alumni

References

  1. ↑ Chicago Public Schools: Kenwood
  2. ↑ "Institution Summary for Kenwood Academy". AdvacedED profile. North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. Retrieved 31 August 2012. 
  3. ↑ IHSA: Chicago (Kenwood)
  4. ↑ Patang (review). rogerebert.com.
  5. ↑ Chicago Teacher's Union; About Us

External links

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